Elevator and conveyer.



No. 639,655. Patented Dec. l9, I899. E. C. BERGHDEFER.

ELEVATOR AND GQNVEYER.

(Application filed Apr. 7, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 639,655., Patented Dec. I9, I899.

E. C. BEBGHOEFER.

ELEVATOR AND CUNVEYER.

(Application filed Apr. 7, 189.) No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No. 639,655. Patented Dec. l9, I899.

E. c. BERGHOEFEB ELEVATOR AND CONVEYER.

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UNITED STATES PATENT anion,

EDWARD QBERGHOEFER, OF MILW'AUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOROF ONE- HALF TOCHARLES BERGHOEFER, OF SAME PLACE.

ELEVATOR AND CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,655, dated December19, 1899.

Application filed April 7,. 1899. Serial No. 712,106. (No moan.) i

To all whom it may concern.-

.Be it known that I, EDWARD O, BERGHOE- FER, of Milwaukee, in the countyof Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Elevators and Conveyers, of which the following is adescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which area part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in elevators and conveyers that areadapted especially for raising and transporting coal to a place ofdeposit more or less distant from I the locality at which it iselevated. The apparatus can be conveniently employed for handling brokenstone or grain or other material or substances loose in mass.

The invention consists of the apparatus, its parts,and combinations ofparts, as herein described and claimed, or their equivalents.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the complete elevator andconveyer, parts being broken away for convenience of illustration andparts being in section. Fig. 2 is a side view of a small portion of theapparatus on enlarged scale, being chiefly an elevation of a fragment ofthe endless chain and of a bucket mounted thereon. Fig. 3 is anelevation of a fragment of the apparatus, parts be-" ing in section andother parts being broken away, the view being taken at the lowerlefthand corner of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan of a fragment of theapparatus, the view illustrat ing the constru ction,so far as permanentparts of the structure are included, just at the left of the lowersprocket-wheel at the right hand in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A represents a floor with a coal-hole, which may bethat of a coal-shed or of a wharf, or in connection with a switch orshunting-tracks of a railway.

B and B represent posts or such permanent portions of a building orstructure as are adapted for supporting the parts of the apparatus.

The elevator and conveyer consists, in a general way, of an endlesscarrier made up of two endless chains and series of buckets mountedthereon, which carrier is mounted and is caused to travel onsuitably-supported wheels, one or more sets of which are driven by powerapplied thereto, compelling the travel of the carrier.

In the construction of the apparatus a number of shafts 10, 11, 12, and13, so arranged and supported on the permanent structure that thereshall be two of these shafts below in substantially the same horizontalplane and two above, are each provided with a pair of sprocket-wheels 1010, 11' 11, 12 12, 13 13' at equal distances apart on each shaft andadapted to carry thereon the two lines of the carrier or endless chains14. The shafts l0 and 13 may be located at a considerable distancehorizontally from the shafts 11 and 12, so that the endless carrierrunning on the sprocket-wheels thereon will extend for a considerabledistance between the respective limits to the right and left of thetravel of the carrier. Any one of these shafts 10, 11, 12, or 13 may beprovided with means for driving it, or two or more of the shafts may berotated concurrently by any well-known means therefor. The endlesschains 14 are so constructed as to be flexible and to be adapted toengage the teeth on the sprocketwheels on the shafts 10, 11,12, and 13,and for this purpose the two chains are each conveniently constructed ofbar-links 15 15, pivoted together at their extremities, in connectionwith occasional plate-links 16, which plate-links are rigid to and carrythereon the pintles or arbors 17. These plate-links 16 are arranged inpairs opposite each other in the two chains, and the inner ends of theopposite arbors 17 are mounted revolubly in boxes 18 therefor fixed onthe sides of small cars or buckets 19. These buckets 19 are preferablyconstructed with oblique Walls at the front and rear inclining inwardlydownwardly and are of such number and so arranged on the carrier thatthe front end of one bucket at its upper edge is close to the rear endof the preceding bucket at its upper edge when the buckets and thechains are disposed in a horizontal plane, as they are along the lowerline of movement from the shaft 10 to the shaft 11. A guard-plate 20,secured to the rear upper edge of'each bucket, projects rearwardlytherefrom and extends over the front Wall of the succeeding bucket whenin a horizontal plane, following each curved surface of theguard-plates. Brackets 21, secured to the sides of the buckets andpierced medially by the arbors 17, provide an additional support andbox-like bearing for those arbors. The outer ends of the arbors 17 areprovided with wheels 22, that travel on tracks or ways 23, 2st, 25, and25. The tracks 23 are in a substantially horizontal position below thelower line or route of the carrier, the rails being lowered or carrieddown wardly at the initial ends thereof at 23' in the vicinity of andbelow the sprocket-wheels on the shaft 10, the object of this depressionbeing that the buckets 19, coming down empty from above, are carried alittle below the plane on which thereafter they are hauled forward toreceive their load, and being thus below that plane the bucket ahead isbrought onto the load-plane first, and the bucket succeeding it being ata lower plane and slightly uptilted, (as shown in Fig. 1,) below thesprocket-wheel on shaft the forward end of the succeed ing bucket willcome up under the guard 20 in proper manner, as indicated in Fig. 2. Thetracks 24E are located along the upper route of the carrier and supportthe wheels 22 thereon during that portion of the travel of the carrier.The tracks and 25' are disposed substantially vertically at therespective ends of the route of the carrier and at such distance apartin pairs as to allow of the travel of the wheels 22 between each pair oftracks 25 and 25. The tracks 23 2a and 25 25 are throughout their extentin duplicate, one track or sets of tracks being at each side of thebuckets and carrier, as clearly shown in the fragments of theconstruction contained in Figs. 3 and 4.

The boxes 18, in which the arbors 17 are journaled and by which meansthe buckets 19 are mounted on the endless chains 14:, are at one side ofthe vertical planes through the center of gravity of the buckets,preferably at the front thereof, and means are provided by which thebuckets are held upright or with their open tops upwardly throughouttheir travel with the carrier, except only at the point where they areuptilted for discharging their loads. For this purpose an axle 26,mounted in the rear end of each bucket, is provided with wheels 27,thatthrough portions of the route of the carrier are adapted to travel ontracks provided therefor. Of these, tracks 28 28 extend in a horizontaldirection from alittle in front of the shaft 10, in a proper positionfor the wheels 27 to travel thereon, supporting the buckets in uprightposition, to a locality nearly below the shaft 11,where the rear ends ofthe tracks 28 are curved upwardly a little away and then terminateabruptly, Figs. 1., 2, and 3. At a point a little farther along in theproper line of travel of these wheels 27 the support therefor iscontinued in and by the tracks 28, which tracks are continued upwardlyto a plane above the shaft 11 and to a locality at which the carrier hastaken a directly upwardly moving line. The object'of the break or spacebetween the ends of the tracks 2S and the initial ends of the tracks 28is to allow of the passage of the arbors 17 across the line of thetracks, Figs. 2 and This is required as the tracks 28 are turnedupwardly inside of the route of the travel of the arbors 17 on thecarrier. Near to and about the shaft 12 other tracks 29 areprovided,adapted to receive thereon the travel of the wheels 27 andsupport their ends of the buckets in the movement of the buckets whileturning about the sprocket-wheels on shaft 12, and these tracks 29 arecontinued in a substantially horizontal direction along the upper lineof the travel of the carrier corresponding with the line of the tracks2e. About the shaft 13 and correspondingly about the shaft 10 there areother tracks 30 31, so curved and disposed as to receive thereon thetravel of the wheels 27 as the buckets pass around the shafts,respectively, an d to thereby support or assist in supporting their endsof the buckets.

Besides the wheels 27 and the tracks on which they run for supportingthrough a portion of the route that end of the buckets that has beenhereinbefore denominated the rear end, each bucket is also providedwithtwo pawls 32 32, one at each side, which are pivoted on the axles 26 andwhich take into the teeth of ratchet-wheels 33, splined and keyed on thearbors 17. These pawls, thus engaging with the ratchet-wheels 33,whichare, in effect, a part of the chains 14, hold the buckets 19 upright inthe position shown in Fig. 1 during the vertical travel of the carrierat the ends of its route. When the carrier turns in its route about theshafts 10, 11, 12, and 13, the pawls 32 are carried forward over theratchetwheels 33 and engage one or more teeth in advance of those lastengaged, thus providing for the change of relation between the partscaused by the change in the direction of the motion of the carrier as itturns around the shafts.

It will be understood that the buckets are loaded, as they pass alongunder the floor A, with coal or the load material dumped through theaperture or coa1-hole Gin the floor A. This loading may be supplied fromcars running over the coal-hole and dumped into it or from a chuterunning from a vessel or other supply of material. To provide for thedumping of the loads from the buckets 19 at some point on their line oftravel along the upper portion of their route, I provide an ancillaryframe 34, mounted on wheels arranged to travel on the tracks 21, whichancillary frame is adapted to be moved on the tracks 2a to any pointdesired and to be secured temporarily releasably thereto by pins passingthrough parts of the frame and entering the tracks 24. This ancillaryframe 34 is provided with two sets of wheels 36 and 37, the Wheels 36being mounted on an axle journaled in the frame and so disposed that thewheels 36 receive thereon, underneath and at the hither side thereof,the bearing of the chains 14, which thereafter run upwardly and over thewheels 37, the shaft of which is mounted in a higher plane in theancillary frame. By thus diverting the course of the carrier acutelyupwardly over the wheels 37 the buckets are uptilted, and thereby dumpedof their loads. From the Wheels 37 the buckets and the carrier passdownwardly again to their course on the tracks 24, the ancillary tracks38, supported on the frame 34:, being advisably provided for the travelof the Wheels 21 thereon downwardly from the wheels 37 to the tracks 24.

Adjacent to the shaft 12 the tracks 24 incline downwardly a little, sothat each bucket as it passes over the shaft 12 and comes down to theplane of the horizontal portion of the tracks 24 will be a little lowerthan the following bucket, whereby the plate 20 on each bucket isbrought to a proper overlapping position over the wall of the adjacentbucket, substantially as the similar adjustment is accomplished as thebuckets pass around and beyond the shaft 10.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. An endless carrier, comprisingendless flexible chains arranged in opposite parallel lines, means forsupporting and driving the chains, plate-links opposite each other inand forming parts of the chains, arbors projecting rigidly from theplate-links, wheels on the arbors, tracks for the travel of thearborwheels, buckets mounted tiltably on said arbors, and means attachedto the bucket and the fixed arbor on which the bucket is pivoted wherebythe bucket may be held to a predetermined position with reference to thedirection of movement of the carrier.

2. The combination with an endless-chain carrier having links providedwith arbors projecting therefrom, of one or more buckets mountedtiltably and eccentrically on the arbors on the carrier, a pawl pivotedon a bucket, and a ratchet-wheel fixed on the arbor on which the bucketis pivoted adapted to be engaged by the pawl.

3. The combination with an endless-chain carrier havinglinks providedwith arbors projectin'g therefrom, of one or more buckets mountedtiltably and eccentrically on the arbors on the carrier, Wheels on theheavier end of the bucket and tracks on which said Wheels are adapted totravel.

4:- The combination of an endless flexible carrier, wheels 011 which thecarrier is carried and about which it turns, wheels 22 on the carrier,tracks in substantially horizontal directions for the travel thereon ofsaid wheels, buckets mounted tiltably on the carrier, secondary wheelson the buckets, and curved tracks at the turns of the course of thecarrier on which said secondary wheels travel.

5. The combination of an endless flexible carrier, wheels on which thecarrier is carried and about which it turns, wheels 22 on the carrier,and vertically-disposed tracks 25, 25 in sets at the ends of the routeof the carrier between the tracks of each of which sets of tracks saidwheels are adapted to travel.

6. The combination with an endless flexible carrier mounted to travelinsubstantially horizontal and vertical directions, buckets mountedtiltably on arbors projecting from the carrier, and wheels on saidarbors adapted to support and guide the carrier on tracks, ofsubstantially vertically disposed tracks at the end of the route of thecarrier on and along which said wheels are adapted to travel, and meansholding said buckets in upright position substantially at right anglesto the route of the carrier along said tracks upwardly.

7. The combination with an endless flexible carrier mounted to travel ina vertical plane about an inclosed space, of buckets pivoted tiltably onthe carrier at one side of the vertical planes through their centers ofgravity, and means forsupporting the buckets upright on the carrieralong the horizontal and up ward lines of its travel.

8. The combination with an endless flexible carrier, of a series ofbuckets mounted tiltably on the carrier and successively in closeproximity to each other, each bucket being provided at one end with aguard-plate 20 so disposed as to extend to and over the nearest end wallof the adjacent bucket while the buckets are traveling along the routesof the carrier that are in horizontal or substantially horizontaldirection.

9. The combination with an endless flexible carrier,means supportingthecarrierv and cans ing it to travel in a substantially rectangularroute,buckets mounted tiltably and eccentrically on the carrier, wheelson the heavier ends of the buckets,and curved tracks at a distance fromthe route of the carrier at its corners adapted to receive thereon thetravel of said Wheels on the heavier-ends of the buckets and supportthem in substantially upright positions.

10. The combination with an endless flexi ble carrier, means forsupporting and moving the carrier, buckets mounted tiltably on thecarrier, and means for holding the buckets upright and substantially atright angles to the carrier along the upward and downward portions ofthe route of the carrier, of means in the horizontal travel of thecarrier for defleeting the route of the carrier upwardly and therebyuptilting and dumping the buckets.

11. The combination with an endless flexible carrier, means forsupporting and moving the carrier, buckets mounted tiltably on thecarrier, and means for holding the buckets upright and substantially atright angles to the carrier normally, a track on which through a portionof its route the carrier travels in a IIO In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature in presence of two Witnesses.

EDWARD C. BERGHOEFER.

Witnesses O. T. BENEDICT,

charge their loads. l ANNA V. FAUST.

